Gap Years

What is a gap year?

Instead of applying during the summer after junior year, you delay applying until the summer after senior year, or even future summers. This means you won’t start health profession school immediately after graduating from Mason, but will have a year or more gap between undergrad and health profession school.

Are you Ready to Apply?

Applying to health profession school without a gap year.

Applying to health profession school with a gap year.

Is a gap year a good thing for my application?

Yes, it can be – if you use your gap year productively. It’s challenging to be a competitive traditional applicant in three years. Many students aren’t able to do well in school, have time to study and take the standardized test, and gain sufficient experiences to be well-rounded. Taking a gap year allows you extra time to be a stronger applicant.

Schools value applicants who have life experiences and have developed the core competencies to succeed in health profession school and in their future careers. Often, students who have taken gap years simply have more time to gain life experiences and mature.

Due to how competitive it is to be admitted to health profession schools, it’s becoming the norm for admitted students to take gap years. For example, for the most recently admitted cohort of medical students, over 66% had taken at least one gap year.

What should I do in my gap year?

This varies by student. Some students need to improve their academics (taking more classes, enrolling in a post-bacc program, having more time to study for the test) whereas other students need more experiences.

In addition to using your gap year to improve your application, it’s also valid to take a gap year to save money for health profession school, to travel or accomplish bucket list items, or to take a mental break before the next (lengthy) step in your academic career starts.

If you aren’t admitted to health profession school the first time, you might end up taking a gap year anyway if you end up reapplying. It’s important to be continuously working towards improving your application. Choose activities in your gap year that bring you happiness, but also further your purpose towards health profession school.

Gap Year Ideas

Internships

Research Opportunities

Service Opportunities

Winston Foundation for World Peace Fellowships

Fulbright (1 year)

Teach for America (2 Years)

Peace Corps (2 Years)

Americorps State and National Programs (9-12 months)

Americorps National Civilian Community Corps (10 months)

Americorps VISTA (1 year)

Health Corps